S79 The Horror in the Swamp Read online

  S79

  The Horror in the Swamp

  by

  Brett Schumacher

  Copyright © 2019 Brett Schumacher

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

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  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1: Home

  Chapter 2: Lost

  Chapter 3: The Gas Station

  Chapter 4: The Bunker

  Chapter 5: The Chittering

  Chapter 6: S80

  Chapter 7: It Stares

  Chapter 8: Test Tubes

  Chapter 9: The Binder

  Chapter 10: The Lobby

  Chapter 11: Vines

  Chapter 12: Bib Overalls and Grease

  Chapter 13: Dismembered

  Prologue

  1991. Robert had told his wife that this was the year he would make it big in the company. They had moved from Scranton, Pennsylvania down to Thibodaux, Louisiana the year before, and things hadn’t gone so great for them. Julie wasn’t impressed with Thibodaux, but she loved the bigger house and the large yard. There was plenty of room for Lilli to play, and at five, she loved to be outside running in the wide open.

  Robert had loved Louisiana from the start, though. He found it quaint, idyllic, and reminiscent of the famous Rockwell paintings of the past. Growing up in Chicago, he had known mostly concrete and asphalt. People were curt almost to the point of being rude there. But not in Louisiana. People were friendly, the air was fresh, the only concrete and asphalt were in the towns. The rural areas, like the one in which his little family now resided, were green, lush, beautiful, and peaceful.

  As he drove to work, he listened to the local news. It was refreshing—there were no murders, robberies, muggings, traffic jams, or any of the other daily woes he had become accustomed to over the years. He and Julie had moved to Scranton, Pennsylvannia when they were first married. The place had been as crowded and difficult to love as Chicago had been.

  Then, he had landed the job at Morrison Enterprises, and things had started to look up. Lilli had been born in 1986. By the time she was three, Robert and Julie knew they didn’t want to raise her in the city. They wanted a more serene and safe environment for her to flourish in. Morrison Enterprises had opened a second location in Louisiana, and Robert had jumped at the opportunity to move there.

  He pulled into the parking lot, still smiling, and got out of his car. Looking up at the four-story building, he laughed aloud. That’s considered big in these parts, he thought. Today was the day he would find out if he had been promoted. Excitedly, he went inside, greeted his coworkers, and made his way straight to the fourth floor and Mr. Edland’s office.

  Gathering his composure, he straightened his tie and smoothed his jacket before knocking on the door.

  From the other side, Mr. Eland called, “Come on in, Mr. Tolliver.” His voice was thick with the southern Louisiana drawl. It was a friendly, welcoming sound to Robert, and he couldn’t keep the smile from his face.

  “Good morning, Mr. Edland.” Robert shut the door behind him and moved to the seat in front of Mr. Edland’s desk. He waited for his boss to motion at the seat before actually sitting, though. He was sure to never be less than professional at his job. And just because that slow drawl made Mr. Edland sound friendly and accommodating didn’t mean he wouldn’t set an employee straight about how to act in his office.

  “Mornin’ to you, too, Mr. Tolliver.” He took off his glasses and laid them on his desk. Lacing his fingers together, he eyed Robert as if analyzing him closely.

  Robert’s heart thumped in his chest as he became nervous. Mr. Edland’s expressions were always unreadable, and Robert hated when he stared at him so sternly without a word to give away any inner thoughts he might be having. It always made him feel as if he were a misbehaving kid sitting in front of the principal awaiting his punishment.

  The silence grew awkward before Mr. Edland finally broke into a smile. “Mr. Tolliver, it seems that I have some good news for you, this morning.”

  Robert heaved a deep breath and it felt as if a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Really, sir?” He fought to keep the nervous chuckle locked in his throat.

  Nodding, Mr. Edland gathered some papers and slid them across the desk to Robert. “Yessir. You got your promotion, son.”

  Robert wasn’t his son, and at first, the endearment had confused him. After being in the Deep South for a few weeks, he had learned that it was merely a phrase that seemed to follow every statement considered important, or worth emphasizing, by the speaker. Women were called honey, love, little miss, and the like—even by strangers.

  Trying not to stammer, thrilled at the news and what it would mean for his family, Robert took the papers and nodded, saying, “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.” He read over the pages quickly, signed where he needed to, and handed them back. “Thank you, again, sir.”

  He didn’t want to gush but it was hard not to. Julie would be over the moon that he finally got his promotion. That would mean they could afford another car, and someone to help with the harder chores at their new house.

  He had expected the promotion to be more difficult to acquire. The relief he felt was immense and he was sure the grin on his face looked stupid.

  Mr. Edland’s expression changed. The smile fell away and he laced his fingers together again as he leaned forward a bit. “Now, Mr. Tolliver, um, Robert, if I may.” His eyebrows raised in question.

  “Yes, sure. Robert’s fine, sir.” He didn’t like the way Mr. Edland’s expression had changed. It imparted a feeling of impending doom.

  “Now, this is completely probationary.” He tapped the papers Robert had signed. “I have a job for you. It’s very important to me, and to the company. You can prove that you have what it takes to get the job done.” He cocked an eyebrow and continued, “Or not. If you can close this deal,” he handed Robert a folder, “the job is yours. If not…well, you can have your old job back, but I’ll have to take back the promotion as well.”

  Robert’s heart dropped. There it was. He knew the job wouldn’t come with some strings attached. Mr. Edland was a good boss, but he was a hard-nosed bastard sometimes, too. Having Robert sign the papers, allowing his excitement build, and then lowering the boom was paramount to dangling meat in front of a starving dog’s face, allowing him to barely taste it, and then pulling it back before he could get the first real bite.

  The file was thick, but the first few pages outlined the job. He would have to travel to Montegut and talk to a man named Oliver Washington, the sole owner of fifty acres that Morrison Enterprises wanted.

  “Morrison wants the whole fifty acres?” Robert was shocked. They didn’t need that much land to erect another large office building. Even if Morrison had expanded to constructing factories, he didn’t think they would need that much land.

  Mr. Edland nodded solemnly. “They will settle for thirty, but no less. That area is completely undeveloped. Having it cleared would give them an asset they could use in the future, when they’re other projects come to fruition.” His quick smile and averted gaze told Robert there was much more that his boss was not telling him.

  “Thirty acres in the middle of nowhere sure
sounds like a lot. Are they expanding into factories, or something like that?” Robert kept his eyes on the file papers, not really reading them, just skimming.

  Sitting back in his seat, Mr. Edland chuckled. “Always curious, eh, Robert? I like you, son. Ambition is admirable. And, it’ll take you places. Are you up for the job? Can I count on you?”

  Closing the file, Robert held his boss’s gaze for a moment. He didn’t like how the promotion hinged on this one job. It felt like a job that others had maybe tried to close and couldn’t. At that point, though, he didn’t have much of a choice. He nodded assuredly.

  “Yes, sir, Mr. Edland. You can count on me.” The meeting had come to an end, and he stood.

  Mr. Edland walked him to the door and opened it for him. “That’s the spirit, son.” His grin was wide. He waited for Robert to step out of the office. “Oh, and one more thing, Robert. That job starts now. Leave first thing in the morning and you should get there in plenty of time for your meeting with Mr. Washington. It’ll take a couple days to bring him around to our price on that land, but I have faith that you can talk him into it. He’s expecting you at eleven. If you’re lucky, his wife will make lunch and serve you some of her famous sweet tea.” He shut the door before Robert could protest.

  Still standing in the hallway, feeling a little dumbstruck, Robert looked from the file to the closed door. Several seconds passed as he thought about knocking and telling his boss that he couldn’t leave first thing the next morning. It was his and Julie’s eighth anniversary and he had promised to take her out to Fremin’s restaurant and then to a music festival on the town square.

  Blowing air out between his lips, he shook his head. He couldn’t refuse the job or the immediate trip. He would just have to tell Julie he would make up for it when he returned.

  He took the file to his desk at the far end of a room full of other desks, and other employees. Morrison didn’t believe in having separate offices for their employees; they had cubicles instead. He flipped to the page with directions to Oliver Washington’s house and read over them carefully. Since he was new to the area, he would have to leave by half-past-seven the next morning. If he had learned one thing about the South, it was that it always took longer to get to a destination than expected, and it was easy to take a wrong turn and end up completely lost in a matter of minutes.

  Looking over the old deed map and the few pictures of the land, Robert thought he was qualified to close the deal. Morrison was offering a lot of money for the acreage. Not as much as they would have if the land had been less wild and secluded, but enough that he thought Mr. Washington would be happy to sell. Maybe the job wouldn’t be as difficult as he had thought at first.

  He put the file in his desk drawer and closed it. Then it hit him—he wouldn’t be in the cubicle much longer. He would have an office once he secured the land for Morrison. Sure, it wouldn’t be a big, fancy office like Mr. Edland’s, but it would sure beat the hell out of the cubicle.

  Robert spent the rest of his day closing out his current job. There was no way he would fail and lose his promotion, and closing out his current job’s files, assigning them to other workers was his way of ensuring that.

  At the end of the day, everyone left on time except Robert. He still had an hour’s worth of work to do. He gave Julie a quick call, being sure to give nothing away about the promotion, and told her he would be late.

  After finishing with his work, he took a few minutes to pack his personal things into a small box. He left the box sitting in the center of his desk. He locked his small filing cabinet and made a mental note that he would need a larger one for his office when he returned from closing the deal with Mr. Washington.

  Chapter 1

  Home

  All the way home, Robert deliberated about the best way to break it to Julie that he had gotten the promotion, but that it meant he would have to break their anniversary plans. He dreaded that last part. She had always looked forward to their little anniversary celebrations. He did too, but he couldn’t let the promotion at work slip through his fingers because of it.

  In his mind, he and Julie had been married for eight years, and had dated for two before getting married, so, it wasn’t like missing one anniversary was going to send them to divorce court and it certainly didn’t mean he was minimalizing the importance of their marriage.

  He parked under the carport and sighed. “Now, if I can convince Julie of that, I’ll be fine.”

  Grabbing his briefcase, he stepped out. The sun hadn’t set yet, but it was lowering toward the mountain range in the West and casting an orange-red glow over everything. Twilight in Louisiana looked as if they were on another planet, surreal and more beautiful than anything he had ever seen in Chicago or Scranton.

  Cicadas burred out their songs, bullfrogs sang in the distance, and somewhere in the far distance, he was sure he heard the lonesome cry of a loon. It wouldn’t be long before the insects and tree frogs inhabiting his five acres started their nightly serenades. Julie didn’t care for the noise, as she called it, but Robert and Lilli found it soothing after the abrasiveness of continuous sirens and traffic.

  As he stepped onto the porch, the door swung inward, revealing the two greatest loves of his life. Julie stood behind Lilli, both smiling broadly.

  “Daddy!” Lilli squealed with delight as Julie opened the door to let her greet him.

  Stooping, he put down his briefcase and spread his arms wide, overcome with happiness and joy at seeing them. “Munchkin! Come here!”

  She ran into his arms and put her little arms around his neck. He wrapped her up in a hug and stood with her, spinning.

  “Whee! Do it again, Daddy.” She giggled and squealed as he spun her around again, letting her legs fly out.

  Kissing her smooth, perfect cheek, he marveled at how lucky he was to have Lilli and Julie. They were both perfect in his eyes, and he would do anything for them.

  Setting Lilli’s feet on the porch, he ruffled her hair. She giggled and ran back inside, past Julie. Julie held the door open for him. He stepped in and put down his briefcase before turning and wrapping his arms around her waist and covering her face with kisses. Her laughter, like Lilli’s, was music to his ears.

  She pulled back, still smiling, and asked, “So? Don’t keep me in suspense the rest of the night. Did you get it?”

  Although he wanted to look serious and perhaps a little worried when he revealed the news, he couldn’t. His joy was too much to contain, so he broke out in a huge grin and nodded. “Yes! I got it, Julie!”

  Squealing with delight, she threw her arms around his neck again and kissed him hard. “I knew you’d get it, baby. Oh, I’m so proud of you.” She drew in a deep breath and smiled coyly at him.

  “What’s that look for?” He held her close.

  Batting her eyelashes at him, she lowered her chin and looked up at him with a flirty expression. “Does that mean we can afford some help around here now?” Suddenly her smile was toothy and the skin at the corners of her eyes scrunched up prettily.

  “Hmm.” He rubbed his chin and looked up as if debating. “Maybe. Possibly.” He laughed at her shocked look. “You can call everyone on your list tomorrow and set interviews to suit you, sexy. Just, don’t hire a pool boy.” He grinned.

  Turning her expression into a cute pout, she shook her head. “That was the first position I wanted to fill.” Huffing out a sigh, she shrugged. “I’ll mark it off the list, then. No pool boy.” She laughed and started for the dining room. “Come on. Dinner’s on the table. I kept yours warm.”

  “Great. I’m starved.” He wanted to tell her all about the promotion, but he decided to let her be happy until after he had finished his meal. Afterward, he pushed his plate away and thanked her.

  She was a damn fine cook and he was lucky to have married her. Not only because of her cooking skills, but because she was beautiful with her
dark, long hair and bright blue eyes, which always seemed to peer straight into his soul, she made him feel like the center of her world, and because she still sent him over the moon with desire. Even after eight years of marriage and a child, their passion had not slipped. He couldn’t imagine ever being with anyone else.

  As she and Lilli played with Lilli’s farm set in the living room, Robert was reminded what an excellent mother she was, too. Julie picked up the big plastic cow and made a loud mooing sound, and Lilli cackled with wild glee to see her mother acting so silly.

  Robert cleared his throat. “How would you two lovely ladies like to go for ice cream and a walk in the little park before sundown?”

  Lilli dropped her toy horse and grabbed a stuffed lamb, squealing as she danced, singing, “Ice cream and pa-a-ark,” over and over again.

  Julie stood and straightened her blouse. “Well, I guess that would be a fun way to celebrate.” She looked at the clock. “We have to be back here in two hours for Lilli’s bedtime, though.”

  He laughed and nodded. “I promise we’ll be back in time for bed. Mommy and Daddy have to get to bed early tonight, too.” He pulled her close and winked.

  “Oh, really? Why is that?” She ran her hands up his chest.

  “To finish celebrating.” He leaned close and kissed her lips.

  “Can I take Miss Lambkins with us to the park, Daddy?” Lilli held up the little lamb and grinned.

  “If you promise not to lose her.” Robert knew if Miss Lambkins went missing, Lilli wouldn’t sleep. She had slept with that particular stuffed toy for two years, and the wear was starting to show.

  She hugged the lamb tight to her chest and nodded. “I won’t lose her, Daddy.”

  They got their ice cream and went to the little park. Lilli sat at the picnic table to finish hers, offering Miss Lambkins a nibble every few seconds. “We love ice cream, Daddy! Miss Lambkins says it’s co-o-old.” She shivered.

  He was glad she was still young enough to enjoy ice cream dates with her parents. He didn’t look forward to the time when she, like all kids, would start pulling away from them.